Training for a Tri? Try These Shoe Shortcuts

Don't get stuck in the transitions during your tri -- instead, employ one of these nifty new shoe tricks to help you along your way.

Anyone who's done a triathlon can tell you that the name of the sport is a bit misleading: There aren't just three events you need to worry about -- actually, there are five. There's swimming, running and biking, sure, but there are also two transitions, known as T1 and T2, in which you've got to switch from one sport to the other. And you're still on the clock while you do it.

Making your transitions as short and efficient as possible is one of the best (and easiest) ways to shave seconds, or even minutes, off of your final race time. To do that, amateurs and pros alike have all sorts of high-tech gear — and some not-so-high-tech tricks, as well: Some keep their shoes clipped into their bike pedals and hop onto their bikes barefoot during T1; others put petroleum jelly inside their running shoes so their feet slide in more quickly during T2.

But what if you’re new to the sport — or you want to improve your time, but you’re not thrilled about the thought of greasy sneakers or slipping into your bike shoes while pedaling? (For the record, that’s some serious stuff.) Consider these store-bought shortcuts instead.

A loop to latch onto: Running shoes with a loop on the back make it easier to pull your foot into — which can be more difficult than you think when your’re hot, sweaty, and just coming off a 25-mile bike ride. We like Saucony’s Type A5 ($100) and Pearl Izumi’s EM TRI N 2 (pictured, $125).

Boa cables: Zoot Sports’ Ultra Race 4.0s ($180) are the first running shoes on the market to use the Boa closure system (you may have seen these steel cable “laces” on snowboard boots in recent years), which allow you to slip in and tighten them up with just a quick twist. Love Boa cables? Check out Specialized’s S-Works Trivent (for, gulp, $400!) that offer them, along with a really cool flip-down heel, as well.

Elastic laces: Of course, you don’t have to buy a whole new pair of shoes. For just a few bucks, you can swap out the laces in your current pair for some stretchy bungee-style cords that you don’t have to tie each time you put your shoes on. Find them at your local running store or at SpeedLaces.com or Yankz.com.

Shoes without socks: These days, many of the pros will tell you that running with socks is optional — especially if you’re outfitted with a shoe that seamlessly hugs your foot and won’t rub you the wrong way — literally. Look for a pair with one-piece uppers (the tongue shouldn’t be its own separate piece) and built-in sock liners; I’ve been going commando in both my Brooks Pure Connect 2s ($90) and my Skora Phases ($110) for a couple of months now and haven’t seen a blister yet. Bonus tip: If they start to stink, fill them with crumpled up newspaper to absorb the odor.